Metroid Bebop
by BorisTheBlade
Summary: A life is a fragile thing. It's amazing how easily taken away it is. That becomes obvious for the crew of the ship "Bebop" and an intersteller bounty hunter Samus Aran. Bounty hunters sing the blues in this Metroid/Cowboy Bebop fic. (Updated)
1. Prolouge

**Metroid Bebop**

Prolouge

Samus sat at a table at the back of the bar, shrouded in darkness. She made certain no one came near her. The sinister look in her eyes warded all who attempted to do so off. Right now she was eyeing one man sitting at the bar. He sat, his back to her, downing drinks. Samus hoped this would make the catch easier. Finally after numerous drinks he got up from the bar. This was Samus' chance.

Samus calmly strolled over to the man. He slapped a hundred System Credits down on the bar and started toward the door. Before he could however, he felt a tap on his shoulder. A blond haired woman stood there smiling at him.

"Hello." Samus started, "You know... I'm thirsty."

"Well then buy something to drink. This is a bar after all, lady." The man said, half-drunk, half uninterested

"Oh, but the only problem is I'm low on cash..." Samus muttered

"What the hell do you want me to do about that?" the man asked

"Nothing, except come quietly. With your bounty I can afford lots of drinks to quench my thirst."

But before Samus could even move to attack him she felt a cold hard pain across her jaw. He had slugged her and dashed.

"Shit. This is the problem with the expensive ones." Samus complained as she ran after the fleeing bounty-head

She had not wore her suit. After all, she wouldn't want to look too suspicious in a crowd with that bulky thing on. However, without her normal weapon all other ones strange to Samus. She pulled a plasma handgun from the waist of her pants and darted out the door of the bar. She quickly looked around for her prey. Finally she saw him hopping into his ship. Samus dashed to her own ship and started it up quickly. Soon they were both in the air, Samus in hot pursuit of the hunted criminal. 

"Hmm... where are you going?" Samus spoke to herself looking at the bounty on her H.U.D.

Samus did her homework. Before she went into the bar she had placed a homing device on her bounty's ship. But the little hunk of metal did more than just track him. It allowed her to even hack into his computer system. It wasn't advanced enough to allow her to control his ship or something complex like that but she could view the information stored in his ships computer. Which included the coordinates he plotted into the computer. These days it was the easiest thing in the world to track someone. As she typed commands in her own computer a window popped up on her screen displaying the coordinates of her foe. Samus was taken aback when she saw them. He had plotted a course out in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, Samus needed to eat and bounties were her life. She would go where the bounties went.

As she tailed her bounty at a considerable distance she found herself getting very close to his coordinates. She was ready for anything happening at the point in space. She had even already suited up. Suddenly, when he reached the point he vanished off her H.U.D. Samus was stunned. Where could he have gone? This infuriated Samus. She wouldn't let him get away. She accelerated to the exact same coordinate and then in a flash of light she felt a small jolt. She looked around and saw beams of yellow light on every side of her. She saw that she was traveling extremely fast. Had she entered some sort of Interstellar Bermuda Triangle? A wormhole? Samus had infinite worst-case scenarios floating around in her mind. She didn't like what was going on. Not at all.


	2. Mars

Chapter 1

After about an hour of traveling through what Samus had decided was a wormhole she began to cease accelerating. Suddenly she saw a brilliant light and once she reached that light she saw darkness again. She blinked her eyes a few times inside her visor. As her eyes adjusted she saw the dim lights of stars all around her. She was back in free space. But where was she? She looked down at her H.U.D. to see if she could pick up the bounty's signal but it was nowhere to be found. Samus was disheartened. She continued trying to get her bearing flying around and looking at the H.U.D. As she flew further away from the spot of her entrance to this new place she saw a large orb in the air. She thought it was a space station of some sort. Planets were usually bigger than the sphere in front of her. However, as she neared it became obvious it was, in fact, a planet. However, before she could run a diagnostic on the planet to see if it was inhabitable or already invalidated the beeping of her transmitter went on. Surprised at someone communicating with her this far into space she answered not knowing what to expect.

"Hello?" Samus answered

"This is the I.S.S.P. You are in restricted airspace. Please state your name and license number." 

Samus wondered what the I.S.S.P were. She gathered it was some sort of police force. Nevertheless she would do as they said.

"My name is Samus Aran. License number 555-34-67-2."

"You are flying in restricted airspace. I am now going to ask you to proceed to the Mars gate escorted by myself and another member of the I.S.S.P. Once through the gate you will be escorted to the Mars headquarters by two more members of the I.S.S.P."

Samus didn't know what the I.S.S.P were. She didn't know what a gate was and it was impossible for her to proceed to Mars for many different reasons. Nevertheless, it was never smart to tangle with any police force. So she allowed herself to be escorted to the area by the police. Once she arrived at the "gate" she found a big diamond shaped entrance to a tunnel floating in space. She didn't understand the significance of such a monstrosity until she entered into the "gate". Immediately she was in another wormhole. She understood what it was she had arrived in this place in but she was sure she saw nothing like this Gate when she was chasing the bounty. It was all very peculiar indeed.

Another hour went by until she was spat out of the gate again. She saw two I.S.S.P. cruisers waiting to escort her. In front of her, however, was where all her attention was focused. She saw the mammoth red planet looming in front of her. While they escorted her down to the planet's surface she ran her diagnostic. She was sure of it now. There was no doubting. This was the red planet. Mars of the original Solar System. She knew it existed but she thought that after deep space was colonized they cut off all the ties to the original Solar System. This was proof that they hadn't, not completely at least. 

Finally they neared the surface of Mars. They were entering a bustling city. Samus had been told all the planets in the original Solar System were completely deserted. Obviously, she was proven wrong. Finally they all landed in a lot with many other ships. Samus used the elevator and came out the top of her ship and jumped down to the ground. As the police neared her she saw a look of surprise in their eyes. They didn't expect someone in a fully ready battle suit. Nevertheless, they escorted her, guns drawn, to the interior of the I.S.S.P station looming in front of them.

  


"What were you doing using a Dark Gate?" the police captain yelled at Samus

Samus had been forced to remove her suit for obvious reasons so now she sat, unarmed, in an interrogation room.

"I was chasing a bounty." Samus replied

"Oh! So you're a cowboy..." the captain yelled

"I'm a bounty hun..." Samus started but the captain cut her off

"You all think you can do whatever the hell you like just cause you chase people that we would catch five times quicker if we didn't have to worry about you people getting in the way."

Samus could tell this could go on for a while. However, now she had a name for her original means of getting to the Solar System. A "Dark Gate". It made sense.

"How did you know about the gate there?!" the captain asked, agitated

"I told you. I was following a bounty. The bounty must have known about it. I just followed him."

The captain was not happy with any of these turns of events. A uniformed officer came in and whispered into the Captain's ear. The captain grew a disgruntled look on his face on nodded. He looked at Samus.

"You're free to go, however, we're impounding your ship. When you pay up you'll have it back."

Samus stood there, mouth gaping. She had to pay the impound fee to retrieve her ship despite the fact she was free to go. Maybe now she knew why they separated the old Solar System.

Samus packed her suit into its case. That was the great thing about it. It was able to become extremely compact. She could take it anywhere. However, she left her weapon on her arm. Seeing what the police were like she had no idea how strange the normal people on Mars were. As she walked along the sidewalks of the city she saw a small street café and decided, since she hadn't had anything to eat for quite some time, that it may be a good idea to stop off for something to eat.

  


"Why are we doing this again, Spike?" Jet asked, annoyed

"The wealthy traveler will be carrying a briefcase of knowledge and shall appear in the café of power." Spike quoted, cryptically

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Spike?!" Jet yelled as he stared at him from across the table in the street café.

"It means our next bounty may very well be arriving in this café carrying a briefcase." Informed Spike as he took a drag of his cigarette

"The café of power? Spike... that could be any café."

"Not so, this café is owned by the I.S.S.P. What other cafes could be considered powerful?"

"Why do you even talk to Old Man Bull, Spike, his prophesies always get us in trouble."

Spike just smiled and went back to surveying the café for anyone carrying a briefcase. He didn't look long until he saw a tall, blond woman carrying a metal briefcase waltz into the café. He was about to nudge Jet when he saw the cannon mounted on her arm.

"Hey, Jet, that woman has a briefcase."

"Fascinating." Jet responded

"Jet, look at her other arm." Spike continued

Jet looked up and saw the same metallic cannon on her arm.

"Why do I have a feeling this isn't good, Spike?" Jet rolled his eyes

"I'm gonna' go talk to her." Spike said after thinking about it for a while

"Your funeral." Jet remarked

Spike casually got up from his seat and strolled over to Samus' table. Once he arrived he wasted no time in sitting down. Samus looked at him with boredom in her eyes. She was not too happy of the population of Mars at present.

"Hi there, my name is Spike." Spike began

Samus was giving him a look to just go away. Obviously, Spike wouldn't take the hint.

"So listen..." Spike started

Suddenly, Spike saw the woman's fist aiming right for his face. It hit him hard in the jaw and he toppled to the ground. Samus stayed in her seat and just looked the other way. Jet ran up to the now K.O.ed Spike and looked at Samus, grinning.

"Heh, I knew he had it coming to him." Jet muttered, "Sorry for him bothering you."

"It's no problem." Samus responded

Samus looked Jet over. She especially noticed his prosthetic arm. It was really old fashioned when they could just make organic replacements. These were the kind of people she knew her bounty hung with.

"Excuse me." Samus started

"Yeah?" Jet said turning his attention away from the unconscious Spike

"Have you seen this man?" Samus questioned pulling a photo out of her pocket and handing it to Jet.

Jet took the photo and looked over the man in it. Jet had never seen him before.

"Nope, can't say that I have." Jet responded, handing the photo back, "Who is he? Boyfriend? Husband? Brother?"

"Bounty." Samus said putting the picture back in her pocket

"You're a bounty hunter, eh?" Jet asked

"Yeah."

"So are we. Hard to believe, I know." Jet said, "You need a place to stay?"

"As a matter of fact..." Samus started

She had just met these people and didn't even know what kind of people they were. She was taking a big risk but that's all bounty hunting is. A risk.

"Yes, I do." Finished Samus

"Alright, c'mon. The ship's only a few blocks away."


	3. Big Shot

Chapter 2

"WHERE'S MY SOUVENIR?! YOU SAID!!! YOU SAID!!!" Ed screamed

"Ed! Quiet down would you!" Faye yelled back

Samus looked around the ship. She could see that it was a hunk of crap but they made it quite inviting for someone who had just been under a police grilling by the great Mars I.S.S.P. Spike lay on the couch, an icepack on his face where Samus punched him in the jaw. He had a very angry look on his face and made sure he wouldn't have to make eye contact with Samus as he rested. Suddenly Ed jumped into Samus' lap. Ed just looked at her with her wide eyes for a few minutes.

"Who're you?" Edward questioned

"My name is Samus."

Without giving any more thought to it Ed hopped off and began screaming again.

"SAMUS SAMUS! I GOT A SAMUS AS A SOUVENIR!! WEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

After Ed was finished ranting Ein gave a bark. Samus picked up the Welsh Corgi and began to pet him, much to Ein's delight. Finally Jet came into the living room from the kitchen.

"Do you like shitake mushrooms, Samus?" Jet asked

As Faye sat down a look of disgust grew on her face at the mention of shitake mushrooms whereas Edward had quite a different reaction.

"MUSHROOMS, PLUSHROOMS, PADDED ROOMS, SPOOKY TOMBS, DARKNESS LOOOOOOOMS! TEE-HEE-HEE!"

"Erm... Mushrooms are fine, Jet, thank you." Samus forced out, bordering on being frightened of Ed

"Aw, Jet, how many of those damned mushrooms do we have left?" Faye whined

"Don't knock 'em. Food is food. Think of all the times we haven't have food. You should be thankful for all these 'schrooms." Jet rationalized using his chopsticks to grab some of his mushroom stir-fry.

"So, Samus, where'd you come from?" Faye asked

"Another system." Samus replied simply as she took a bite of her own food

"What do you mean another system?" Faye questioned

"Another solar system, of course." Samus said

All eyes quietly darted to look at Samus. Even Spike was intrigued despite the fact he wasn't Samus' biggest fan at the moment.

"Another solar system? You're kidding..." Jet exclaimed

"Not at all."

"But, that's impossible!" Yelled Spike now getting into the conversation, "No one has colonized outside of this Solar System."

"You're wrong, Spike." Samus said coolly

"Alright, so what's the other system like, then?" Spike asked smugly

"Well... it seems much more modernized than this one. For the longest time I thought this system was destroyed. Those were the stories." Samus recapped, "Plus, the system I'm from is practically hinged on scientific discoveries."

Spike sunk in his chair a little as she described her home system.

"How so?" Jet questioned

"Well... Let's say you worked for a computer company. That computer company would manufacture computers for scientists. I mean, sure, they'd make personal computers and things of that sort but the main bulk of everything is for science. That's just what people place real emphasis on."

"Even bounty hunters?" the inquisitive Faye asked

"Not directly, but yes, I do a lot of my worked hired by scientists." The mysterious woman replied

"That sounds boring!" the attention-deficit Edward spoke up

Jet just glared at the crazy child. Edward rolled her eyes slowly and smiled a massive smile.

"Well it IIIIISSSSSSSS..." Edward went on

Suddenly in front of Samus the TV switched on. A gun slid out and fired before the theme song to the show began to play. Her arm was halfway between her and the off button when she glanced up to her new companions glued to the screen. She leaned back in her chair then as Ein hopped into her lap and began eating the woman's food. Normally Jet would have corrected the Welsh Corgi but he, too, was watching the TV with much interest.

"All you bounty hunters in the star system... HOW Y'ALL DOIN'!?" one of the cowboys on the screen screamed out at all his viewers

"Well, why are we wastin' any time today, sugar? Let's get to them bounties!" the cowgirl proposed

"What an idea Judy! Today on the top of the list is a gargantuan bounty!"

"Gargantuan?! REALLY?!" Judy gushed over her own dialogue

"That's right, all you cowboys and cowgirls! His name is Martz Radioson. He apparently has ties to the mafia."

"Oh, the MAFIOSO!" Judy exclaimed, wide-eyed

"Oh, but hold yer horses, Judy. The police didn't even post this guy's bounty! It was Don Fiero, a kingpin in underground activities."

"Well, golly, why would he put a bounty out on one of his own people?" the blond questioned

"He musta' given some information to the police and went back on the syndicate and on top of that he was nearly apprehended for the usage of Dark Gates!"

Samus suddenly was quite interested in the selected program of the bounty hunters and the particular bounty being showcased at the moment. The mention of "Dark Gates" peaked her interest in the subject.

"Then what are we waiting for, Punch, let's show this lucrative bounty-head to the universe!"

"Shucks-howdy! A whopping nine million woolongs!" the cowboy enthusiastically yelled as his face on the TV was replaced with the dossier of Martz Radioson.

Suddenly Samus became borderline livid. The picture on the television in front of her made her want to destroy her entire solar system. Plastered across the universe for all to see was the picture of her former bounty, the one that had escaped through the Dark Gate. Immediately as the information set in, Samus threw her plate down to a hungry Ein as she grabbed her briefcase and ran towards the deck of the modified fishing ship.

"Where are you going?!" she heard Faye yell after her

There was no stopping her now. She had lost her bounty. There were probably a million bounties running around her home system whilst she relaxed on Mars and chased a mob betrayer around in circles. When she finally reached the deck she then remembered the crucial fact that... her ship wasn't there. She then was desperate. She ran over to the Redtail and attempted to find a way into the craft. When she found none she turned around to see the poofy haired Spike staring at her with a smirk on his face.

Spike wondered why he had followed this woman out to the deck. He could have just as easily stayed on the couch, nursing his jaw. Of course, that just wasn't his style. But, there was something else. He racked his brain to figure it out as he followed Samus down the corridors of the Bebop. When he saw her struggling with Faye's ship, however, that's when he knew what it was. It was her hair. Her hair was blond and radiant and wavy. Her face had that kind of look to it as well. He knew what it was. She just looked like Julia. The more he gazed at her he realized it. He was probably bitter with her earlier because he was bitter with himself. He was angry at thinking that it was Julia. It only unearthed battles he'd rather not fight again. But when she finally gave up her quest to open the hatch to Faye's ship Spike strolled up next to the mysterious woman. He dug into his pocket and drew a small cardboard box. He flicked his wrist and the end of a cigarette protruded from the opening. He stuck the box under Samus' nose as he leaned against the Redtail.

"Wanna' smoke?" Spike asked in his usual, laid-back tone

"I don't smoke. It causes over two thirds of the deaths in my system." Samus sighed the information to Spike. Lung cancer was not her subject of choice at the moment

Spike just shrugged and took a nicotine stick out and clasp it in his lips. He then drew his lighter and lit it, taking a drag as well. He blew the smoke from his nose and turned to Samus.

"What's bugging you?" he sighed out his question

"That was _my_ bounty." Samus answered with an amount of force Spike had only ever known Julia to use

"Welcome to the Bebop. For some reason the big ones always get away." The cowboy's sarcastic tone kicked in

"You don't understand," Samus began looking straight ahead with another dose of force, "He... was _my_ bounty."

Spike nodded his head in complete lack of understanding. He had never been so connected with a bounty that he couldn't allow it to get away or for someone else to apprehend them. Bounty hunting just wasn't like that to him. There was only one thing he wanted and he would have to pay a particular price for that as well. However, he did know of times when Jet insisted on taking someone in or, for that matter, even the cold hearted hard luck woman, Faye, got emotionally connected with a bounty on occasion. The two stood in silence for a moment. Samus, cringing at the thought of some shmuck catching her bounty and God knows what would happen. Spike, just thinking of the various philosophies of bounty hunting between him and his partners. Incidentally, that train of thought led the cowboy to his next question.

"Why were you trying to steal Faye's ship, anyhow?" Spike pushed himself away from the resting spot that had become the side of the Redtail

"That bounty is a matter of paramount importance." Samus coldly replied

"You've made that clear," Spike spoke as he turned away from her to face the waning sun, "But don't you have your own ship somewhere?"

"It was impounded and I don't have the cash to get it out."

"You're beginning to sound like a real cowgirl already." Spike remarked in a low, droning voice

"How's that?" Samus turned toward Spike

"You're in desperate need of funds."

"The struggle of finding quick cash. How I loath thee." Jet nodded as he listened to Samus' story of the Dark Gates and the bounty

"Jet, isn't there something you can do to get her ship back? You know, pull some strings?" Spike questioned

"As long as she gets her own ship and doesn't try jacking mine anymore." Faye pouted

Samus gave an apologetic look to Faye but, defiantly, Faye turned away. Faye really already had accepted her spoken apology Samus had offered before she began her story but Faye, being the woman she was, wasn't going to make that apparent to anyone until it mattered and would reflect good upon her.

"In the I.S.S.P. world..." Jet started, "Favors are a precious thing. Once you use one, it's gone. They owe you nothing and you owe them nothing. Debt is a hard thing and favors are lifesavers."

"Jet...," Spike whined, "We gotta' help her go after the bounty. After all, it's what we live for."

"Actually, you all. I've been thinking about the reward money..." Samus ran her finger around the edge of her glass that the bourbon Jet had poured her sat in. "I really can't use _woolongs_, and, well, the reward is really immaterial to me. I would be glad to give it to you all and allow you to divide it amongst yourself."

Spike listened to Jet and Faye and finally heard what he wanted to hear. He had already made it clear that woolongs would be worth nothing in her system and that they would help her to the best of their abilities as long as they acquired a hefty sum of the bounty whence the job was completed. After Samus voiced the fact that she would donate the reward to the Bebop fund Spike daydreamed about the Peking Duck he would, no doubt, purchase and devour with a small portion of his share.

Faye had nothing against Samus from the start and, true, she had been waiting to forgive her for attempted grand theft spacecraft when the time was right but that idea went out the window quite quickly. When Samus proposed the residents of the space ship Bebop hold on to the wonderful nine million woolongs Faye had no objects and had no problems about forgiving Samus but becoming her best friend.

Jet hated calling in favors for the riffraff he had seated before him. He was constantly calling in valuable favors to bail Spike out of trouble or certain death. Lord knows Faye was much too much trouble. And here they go asking him to help a stranger they've had on the ship only long enough to have a normal, Bebop-esque, cliché, lapse of sanity. However, Jet thought of the possibilities when she mentioned the vast figure of nine million woolongs begins transferred to the Bebop safe. Jet only thought on the matter a fraction of a moment more. Thus, without further ado, he grabbed the communicator.

"Bob... yeah, this is Jet. I need a favor."


End file.
